These Chains
by Market Square Heroes
Summary: It has been one year since those fateful events had occured. With being physically and emotionally scarred Erik begins to learn which hurts the most. But can he heal? Can he love again? Mostly Movie based with other influences ENJOY!R
1. Intro

_Just before you indulge yourself in this story a few things need to be confirmed in order for you avid readers to not get confused. When the chandelier plumetted to the ground it, as you well already know, created a fire. But this is where the similarity ends between the original story and my own creation. Before the fire spread any further from hence the flames erupted, there were thankfully some people in the audience and gendarms, who succesfully trampled it out, whilst trying to save those unfortunate souls of which the chandelier had come crashing on top of. Of course, not everybody helped out. Most people just rushed out of the building in pure and utter horror of what had just transpired. So, the Opera Populaire did not burn down but instead it was abandoned. The managers Andre and Firmin had had enough with the so called 'Opera Ghost'. They were already tight with money and now with more than half of their performers leaving to find work elsewhere they could simply not stay any longer to deal with it. They attempted to sell the theatre but no one was willing to take it, and who could blame them? After the unfortunate series of events hardly any people would have wanted to pay to go see any of the performances shown at the Opera Populaire. No one stepped a foot in there again. Rumours travelled through the streets of Paris like the wind. Rumours of the Opera Populaire being haunted and the like. Rumours of The Phantom of the Opera. Rumours that had once been told backstage amongst the ballet rats now roamed the city. It was not until a year later that someone had the nerve to pass through its once grand, heavy oak doors._


	2. Secretly, Secretly

_Erik: Hey! You changed the story.  
Me: Errr, correction!...I improved it. (rolls eyes)  
Erik: Oh? and how may I ask, has this alteration improved the story?  
Me: And yes, you may ask...  
Erik: (grunts)  
Me:... It's because it fits in perfectly with mine! (grins)  
Erik: But I liked it when the Opera house burnt down and killed loads of people! (sulks)  
Me: oh dear...someone's getting a bit emotional! (gives mocking grin)  
Erik: oh, shutup!_  
Me: I must say, that was a bit inhumane Erik! even if the bastards did gawk at your face when Christine took off your mask.  
_Erik: When have I ever been considered human?  
Me: (rubs chin) Good point...hmm, its time like these when I feel really sorry for you...I should really close my annoying gop.  
Erik: On considering the latter point, I wish there were more of those moments.  
Me: (gives evil stare) don't get cocky with me! you never know what I can do to you in this story! Mwhahahahaaaaaaaaaaa!  
Erik:(gulps)  
Me: anyways, I'm doing this for your benefit you know!  
Erik: how?  
Me: Well...instead, you don't snuff it.  
Erik: you have a wonderful way with words. (he adds sarcastically) did you know that?  
Me: why, yes I did, but thankyou!...and you meet someone who could end up giving you something you've alsways wanted!  
Erik: If I am correct in what your implying,then, no one is going to replace Christine! I cannot love anyone else but her.  
Me: that's really sweet Erik but she's long gone you twit! but we shall see, we shall see how the plot develops..._

_­­­­­­­_

There she sat, at the edge of the stage on a red leather stool. She looked around hesitantly.

"No...no one must be here, it's abandoned...no one will hear!" She reassured herself.

She raised her hands and struck the first note and then stopped. The ecoustic was ideal, but the sound from that one note...was louder than she had ever imagined. She started again but cautiously. The next note was played and then slowly she gathered up her confidence and soon she swept over the keys with ease. Her fingers moved around so lightly as if they had wings. The tremendous sound travelled all around the massive room and there was a slight tremour in the ground. The room that had once been full of cheerful, merry people and music...and then deserted seemed to come back to live again. The thick sheet of dust on top of the grand piano seemed to sweep off at every note that she played. The theatre had now become lighter and warmer than ever before as if she had cast some magical spell over the place.

The girl never realised the magnificence of her playing...but she just carried on with so much feeling and passion from herself into that one piece. When finished she was ashamed to notice a few tears roll down her face...the piece was so emotional that at that moment some things in the past that had upset her entered the girls mind...some old silly things that didn't even matter any more.

However, when she had ended the piece, the room became once again...gloomy and liveless like before...like the past year it had always been, day after day accumulating more dust and cobwebs. So many memories she saw lingered there... it made her shudder with discomfort.


	3. Real Vision or Illusion?

_Me: Yay! (claps hands) ...my first chapter done!  
Erik: Well...is that it?  
Me: What do you mean?  
Erik: Ugh! What I mean is...is that all you wrote?  
Me: errr, yes...(hurtful expression)...are you insinuating something?  
Erik: oh no, no, no...(coughs) yes  
Me: out with it!  
Erik: it is a bit short, wouldn't you think? Wouldn't you think your reader's would be wanting a bit more?  
Me: did I ask for your opinion?  
Erik: no  
Me: then, shutup!  
Erik: (frowns)  
Me: oh my dear Erik...you have so much to learn (gives mocking grin) Are you not familiar with the term, 'Suspense' ?  
Erik: (scowls)_

Every week since she would come back and forth to the Opera Populaire to play the piano. Odd it would seem, but she had her reasons...even though she had a piano of her own at home...mainly the girl came to practice since she hated playing at home knowing that everyone could hear...the prospect of this made her make numerous mistakes as she became too tense. However, the Opera Populaire...being abandoned served as the perfect place to be alone with her music. The solitude was something she rarely possessed and she took great pleasure out of it. No one could bother her...well...at least she thought so...

On the eighth week she came as usual on a Sunday evening. She carried a huge bag over one of her shoulders. The bag was so full and had exploded on the way there, that she had resorted to having all the sheets of music scrunched up in both hands. The reason for the extremely heavy burden which was hunched over her back was due to her having visited a friend...which meant residing in their house way over on the other side of the city. However the girl insisted on taking the trip there and back by foot as the weather had been so fine...but there she was, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

After another session of playing she thought she heard something...a creak and then a faint thud from above. The girl immediately stopped packing away her things and looked straight up to where the cat walk was, suspended by many robes. There she thought she caught glimpse of a shadow amongst the beams...but it disappeared as soon as the girl had moved her head.

Was she dreaming? Was she imagining things? Ever since she had started playing the girl had sensed some kind of strange presence lurking...watching...listening to her and this made her feel slightly uncomfortable...if not, extremely uneasy. Maybe she was getting a bit tired...


	4. Darkness Calls

_Erik: oooooo! I wonder who that was?  
Me: try and a give a guess...  
Erik: errrrr...hmmmmm...well, I don't know? I'll have to think about this...  
Me: (rolls eyes)...its so obvious  
Erik: aha! I got it, I got it!...was it ..oh...no, I lost it...  
Me: (buries head in hands) who the heck in their right mind would be lurking in an abandoned Opera house? eh?  
Erik: (scratches chin)  
Me: Oh, I give up!_

It had just recently occurred to her that the only place in which she lingered was the front of the Opera Populaire and the stage where on which the grand piano stood, no where else. The girl never really wanted to venture too far as she still held a few superstitions of the place. Although, nothing had happened so far. She could still not ignore those faint noises that had come from above her head just a few minutes ago. Maybe they were just in her head? Well, apart from that thought, where ever they had come from they were certainly real. She had one of those feelings and could not deny the fact that she was slightly worried.

Suddenly she felt the urge of doing something adventurous for once...however, not that going into the theatre was not adventurous enough, but she had overcome that first hurdle and wanted to explore a little more. So she seized the opportunity at once and jumped up from her seat at the piano and started to investigate.

She walked around the stage and the first thing that caught her eye was the ropes used to operate all the props to do with the stage. All were lined up along the side wall, that was very well hidden by the heavy red curtain in which presumably one of them controlled. It surprised her to see how neatly they all were tide up on each of their separate hooks. None of them were out of place, none of them were knotted, and none of them entwined each other. Everything looked in functioning order. She didn't know why...she wasn't an expert on these things nor was she ever a stage hand that would have experience in these matters...but it seemed strikingly odd that everything seemed so well kept and orderly despite the events that occurred a year ago where everyone was in such a rush to leave the place.

She rose her head to look above. She gasped. Now that she was directly under the cat walk she never realised how high up the building actually extended. She could barely make out the roof as all the beams and ropes obstructed her vision. Without noticing, while the girl looked up in wonderment she slowly began to drift back into the centre of the stage to get an even better look. She took another step until it rested on what it seemed to be a loose floor board? Whatever it was she took still no notice...but then when she placed her other foot on it, with all her weight down the floor seemed to give way. The girl let out a shriek of horror but before she could do anything the theatre disappeared before her eyes and darkness soon enveloped her. With a loud thud she cried out in pain as she crushed her ankle beneath her weight. All of it had happened so fast that she hadn't had a chance to breathe, let alone realize what had just happened.


	5. The Thudding of Fate

_Me: sorry peeps! I've been travelling up North around Newcastle at the moment, hence the slight delay between updating chappies:)  
Erik: Ugh! the weather really 'sucks' up here.  
Me:(giggles)  
Erik: what's your problem?  
Me: sorry, it's just...haha...it's just so funny to hear you use slang.  
Erik: how come? is it because I come from the 19th century?  
Me: yup, you hit the nail right on the head!  
Erik: what nail? (looks around confused)  
Me: (shakes head) ugh, never mind  
Erik: (scowls)  
Me: jeese! you've been in a bad mood all day!  
Erik: I thought I always was, according to you. anyway, it wasn't my decision to come along with you  
Me: maybe the weather does affect one's mood  
Erik: well, it seems to have no influence on you whatsoever!  
Me: it's called optimism! you know, you should try it some time...might get you somewhere-  
Erik: -where has optimism got us anywhere today! you got us trapped on this flipping island thinking a boat would come in the middle of the night to collect us!  
Me: (blushes)_

The girl felt something small and furry rush past her frantically. A mouse she thought...probably frightened to death at her rather unexpected arrival...or more like at her sudden entrance. It was cold and damp and then after a few seconds the girl began realise all of what had just transpired and that she must indeed be under the stage...and that supposedly she now sat on what was once the trap door that had come down with her...or rather, she came down with it.

How was she going to get back up? She looked around trying to take in her surroundings but could see nothing but darkness except from the faint light that shone down the small hole above her, which only illuminated herself in a pale, white light compared with the blackness around her. As her eyes began to adjust she saw that there was a wall behind and in front of her. She was indeed in a very narrow corridor...how long it went on for and where lay a mystery unless she were to explore. It seemed the only option. The fall was not by much but she knew that it would be impossible to lift herself up considering her condition. She tried to stand but whenever she put any weight on her left ankle it hurt so much but she sensed it was only sprained, but very much so and would take her a long time to recover. the girl was also in no doubt that she would soon have a multiple amount of bruises along her legs.

Using the wall for support, she finally lifted herself up with much effort and gasped in pain. There had to be a way out...but the more she looked up and down the gloomy tunnel... the more she felt like willowing in despair. Both ways, left and right of her, were as dark, damp and cold as each other. Just then she thought she heard a light thudding of feet coming her way...and then a light could be seen in the distance, faint at first but then it became brighter, bigger and fiercer and every thud as they became louder...and then a tall shadow could now be seen holding the blazing torch. The flames flickered as the red and yellow lights danced across the walls, but the figure remained just a shadow against the torch's glow. The girl, who had already become distraught because of the injury and her unfamiliar surroundings became even more so when this stranger approached her. Her breathing became shallow and sped up considerably. She thought the Opera Populaire ought to be abandoned but seeing this figure made her freeze momentarily as she realised who this could be...who else would it be?


	6. Unwelcome Encounter

_Me: ...because Erik is in such a fowl mood at the moment I couldn't really imagine him being anything else but hostile...so it's kind of rubbed off on this next chappie.  
Erik: I am NOT hostile! (slams hand on table)  
Me: (coughs) well...in simple terms...yes...yes, you are.  
Erik: NO I'm not! I've never hit you or anything!  
Me: Not me you idiot! I'm more concerned about what you've been doing to my poor table! (table creaks)  
Erik: Oh, it's always the flipping table! Table this, table that...blah blah blah!  
Me: Hey! This table cost a lot! Anyway, you would be the same if I started playing your stupid organ.  
Erik: I thought you got that table from Ikea? Of course, that must have been really expensive.  
Me: Sarcasm really doesn't suit you, Erik.  
Erik: Ugh! (stalks off, kicking the wall in the process)  
Me: See what I mean?_

* * *

"Who are you?" The figure now stood right in front of her, torch in one hand and towered over her menacingly, although she could still not see his face. Now that the person was so close she knew it was a man. He looked like a man of considerable height and strength from his commanding, authoritive posture. He wore a long black cape and the hood was put up and cast a shadow over his face, and therefore she could tell nothing more of this mysterious man. Although she could not see them, she could feel his eyes closely and intently scrutinise her. This made her ever more uncomfortable and she tried to regain some of her strength and straightened herself up with the aid of the wall as to hide her disposition and look less weak and vulnerable.

"Who am I? Who am I you ask!" She heard a bitter laugh. "..but I think you know exactly who I am!" His voice boomed about the place and sent shivers up her spine. It was a voice very low and full of power which made her slip down the wall a few inches, her feet trembling. It was then when his face drew even closer to reveal a white mask covering the right side of his face. She inhaled sharply. The natural light from above and the torch flame gave it a deathly glow.

"Your...your the-the P-Ph-Phantom of the O-" The girl stuttered. She was afraid not because of his face but more on the fact that it was actually Him. However, by her reaction he became even more angered by perceiving it to be due to his face.

"You have no right to be here! Did you come to STARE at this repulsive carcass? 'Let's go to laugh and CURSE this-this MONSTER!' Is that why you came here?" He barked. He was in such close proximity with her that her head began to hurt because of his shouting. She started sliding down even further to the ground as he leant over her casting a shadow and all she could see was him...and that mask...

"Please! You misunderstand...I-I came here by-by acc-" Immediately she was cut off.

"I see NO misunderstanding!" Suddenly he grasped hold of her neck and pulled her up against the cold stone wall, all with just one hand roughly. She cried out in pain as she was knocked against the wall with such force. "You will be punished! Never let curiosity be your first priority. Never with me!" His grip began to tighten and she started gasping desperately for air but none would come. She put her hands up to his own in an attempt to push them away but she hadn't the strength enough to do so. All of it seemed to be evaporating. She felt like giving up...it was hopeless to carry on fighting... She now saw his left side of his face. His features were grim and menacing...his mouth was set in a firm line and his brow furrowed in determination. There was such coldness in his voice and now she saw it so clearly on his face. The thing that stood out the most were those dark, black piercing, cold eyes.


	7. Change, for the worse?

_Me: oooo! I almost forgot!_

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own ALW's version of The Phantom of the Opera although this story is based on his interpretation. Also I do not own any of the characters from the film and stage production which includes Erik, sadly, who is one of the main characters in this story. However, I do own the girl who is in a rather sticky situation at the moment and will reveal her name later including other characters of my own creation that will start cropping up in the following chapters to come. _

_And while I'm here, I might as well say that The Phantom in this story is largely based on Gerard Butler's performance._

_-phew! I'm glad I got that off my chest! But I do own this Erik! MWHAHAHAHAAAAA!  
Erik: Hey!  
Me: You're my muse. Without you, where would I be with this story, huh?  
Erik: Well, when you put it that way...but you do not own me!_

_To be continued..._

* * *

Without warning his features began to soften...they were not so stern. He no longer frowned and his lips parted as he sharply inhaled and started to loosen his grip on her and back away suddenly as if jolted by something. When he saw the colour drain out of her face...those big, blue pleading eyes look desperately into his...and then the soft touch of her cold hands in a failed attempt to stop him he felt like being punched in the gut. He couldn't bring himself to do it...he just couldn't...

She fell to the ground and let out another cry as her ankle was crushed yet again. She was breathing heavily now, and with her hands she felt across the floor until she found two black, polished boots in front of her. Kneeling before him she begged,

"Please, please don't hurt me! I meant no harm!" Almost then he was inclined to help her up but instead he regained his same, cold, emotionless manner.

"Get up...I said GET UP!!" With the last of what little strength she had left she managed to stand up while wincing as her muscles and sprained ankle protested. She was even still recovering from the attempted strangling that left her throat sore and made breathing difficult. Immediately her arm was grabbed and was half dragged, half walked down the tunnel. She was also left extremely disorientated and distraught, everything around her seemed fuzzy and she didn't pay attention to where he was taking her, or couldn't considering her state... and she didn't care...

Left and right, up and down stairs she was taken. The tight grip of his large, black gloved hand started to make her arm feel incredibly sore and became numb. Her ankle was making her limp more and more and became more painful with every step that she took. How long was this going to last? Any minute then she felt like she was going to collapse. He took such long, powerful strides that made him travel even faster making it difficult for her to keep up, so every so often she would stumble here and there, only to be roughly dragged up again. Just then she thought his pace became slower.

Then he came to an abrupt halt which sent her colliding into him. She felt herself being shoved into a room. He loosened his grip of her arm and she instantly fell to the ground gasping for air and clutching onto her ankle. Now her legs ached and she could feel the ever increasing bruises. The pain was excruciating and she let out a small yelp.


	8. Hopeless

_Continued..._

_Me: Pft! Like I so do!  
Erik: No!! Not the "like"…spare me the torture, please!!  
Me: Err, like urm, no! Like, only if you, like, admit that I, like, do actually, like, own you.  
Erik: Never!  
Me: Like, MWhahahahahaaaaaaaa!  
Erik: (blocks ears)  
Me: Like, what's the problem?  
Erik: You know fully well what the problem is!  
Me: Would you care to, like, enlighten me?  
Erik: (Flees room via trap door)  
Me: Hey not so fast!! That's cheating! I didn't give you permission to make a trap door in MY home!!  
Erik: You never said that I couldn't..._

* * *

Her vision became even more clouded because of the tears welling up in her eyes. Just in the distance she saw the shadow wisp around with the torch lighting only one single candle in the room. Then the figure retreated through the door in which they came. He paused and she could feel those eyes inspecting her again. Maybe he was wrong? Maybe she never intended in being here? But, no! He shook his head and then went out and slammed the door behind him. All was dark except from the faint glow of the candle in the corner.

With all the strength she could muster she rose and stumbled across to the door. Her fists hit the door frame but she ignored the pain shooting up her arm.

"I meant no harm." There was a click of the lock and a jingle of keys being pocketed.

"I meant NO harm!" She heard the sound of steps retreating. The girl slumped down into a heap on the floor once again and the tears freely trailed down her cheeks as she whimpered.

"I meant n-no harm." She cried between the sops. Not another sound was to be heard.

How long was she going to be here? Where was she now? How would she get out? Her family would start to get worried...she hated it when they worried. It was so tiresome with them asking her where she had been or was going every 5 minutes of the day. She knew they cared but it was as if she was a little girl. However, considering her situation she would need people to get worried and look for her otherwise God knows what she would do?

With all these questions running through her mind her head now became sore after all the shouting and panic. She began to feel dizzy and the flame from the candle was nothing but a fuzz...she could see nothing else. The girl felt like she was being suffocated once again and soon fainted from feeling extremely disorientated, exhausted, weak and helpless. There she remained the rest of the night on the hard wooden floor boards in a heap beside the door.


	9. Jumping the Gun

_Me: Whoa! It has been a long time since I've updated-  
Erik: Yeah, you got that right!  
Me: (ignores) -because of school and all that jazz! (does jazz hands)  
Erik: (rolls eyes)  
Me: Ugh! Anyways, it's a bit annoying because I'm doing my GCSE's so be nice! Hehe...yes, so I'm making up for it by posting 3 chapters in one go. YIPEE!!  
Erik: GCSE exams are not until spring!  
Me: Well, I've got to work towards them. Duh!  
Erik: (embarrassed) I knew that!  
Me: Whatever mate._

* * *

He halted round the corner to turn round and glance at the room he had just left. He heard her weeping on the floor. He heard everything. The thud of fists hitting the door. The thump of her slumping onto the floor. What she had said...

"I meant n-no harm." She sounded so sincere...he shook his head and let out a grunt in disgust at hearing her words. _Well she wished she meant no harm now! Hah! People...all the same. She'll have to learn the hard way. If I could have killed her then and there, it would have been a quick and painless punishment. Well...she'll have to suffer._ He laughed harshly and continued back the way he had come. _But hang on? I released her! Fool! __Damn...I could easily do without this burden...well, it will be satisfying for a little while to have someone to torment! _With that he carried on until he came to under the stage once again.

_So, she thought that her little scheme would work did she? Try and gain my affection and trust through her playing? _He mentally slapped himself for becoming so wrapped up in that girl's playing. But it had been so beautiful. He hadn't had the joy of being entertained in such a long time, and by such an obviously accomplished and promising musician! He had been so enraptured by her music that every week he had impatiently been expecting her return, just to hear her again and see those little fingers dance around the keys. Maybe _impatiently _was not the word since he respected that her coming and playing was a rare treat for him to behold. He had lived such a lonely life and even more so after the Opera Populaire had been abandoned. _Eagerly awaited her return_ was a better way to put it. But what a fool he was!!! _Of co__urse, she must be part of an organisation to lure him into their trap and sell him to some kind of freak show, or earn some sort of fame from his downfall! Using this girl and her music was their way of luring him into their cunning plot. Everyone knows his love and devotion to music. And, whoever these people were, they were going to use his passion against him! How dare they! How dare that girl! Why else would a young girl go venture into an abandoned Opera House, despite the stories and rumours and play?! Just like that? Then she just randomly slips down into one of his secret passageways? _

Earlier as he was attempting to silently retreat back into the shadows, he had accidentally stumbled over above her head while she was packing up. He was losing his touch. Usually he was so good at sneaking around. He just never really needed to anymore until then, when she came. He had then just legged it, fearing she would have looked up and seen him. That, followed by a loud thump as he misjudged his step and almost tripped over again in his haste. Hidden in the shadows he turned back and saw her look up with a confused expression on her face. She had shaken her head as if reasoning with herself over something. That had been the first time he had actually seen her whole face. Usually it was always downcast...well, naturally, seeming as he was always watching her from above. _Phew_. That had shaken him up just a bit. So, he went back down and entered one of his underground tunnels leading down to the cellars. He remembered his last thought..._she has a pleasant face._ He had been considering that day of maybe approaching her, teach her? The Phantom had immediately put that thought out of his mind, and he was glad that he did too...

Just a few minutes later he heard a **CRASH **and someone scream at the same time. Curious and slightly worried, he followed the yelping sounds and was surprised to see that girl struggling to get to her feet. But his surprise soon turned to anger as he advanced towards her. She had found the secret trap door on the stage that was hidden just behind the ordinary one. The other one opened up to a corridor exactly parallel to this one which no one knew about. The secret trap door that he had fallen down with Christine, which tricked everyone else into thinking it being the ordinary one that they had disappeared into! The SECRET trap door that lead down to HIS lair, HIS HOME! His anger was fuelled by the pain of his past, his vulnerability, the panic he felt at the thought that he may be discovered!

He couldn't let her go. She would go running to these people that she must be working for. Telling them everything. The secret tunnel! They would for sure come back straight away in excitement and anticipation before he could board it up. Even if he did, they would know for sure that someone was living there still. And assume it to be the Opera Ghost. But to top all of that, after his outburst she had seen him, been confronted by him and need he go on thinking what else she would tell them about how he almost strangled her. Proving that he was a monster. No doubt she would elaborate making it sound as if the devil himself rose from the fiery depths to torment her! Once he had come up to her, he knew that it was too late to be rid of her. _Damn!_ Every path that he could possibly take would turn into a disaster. It was either death where he would be rid of this burden completely or prisoner. He chose the latter and for what? Yes, he wouldn't get found out but he had this girl in HIS Opera House doing nothing! Then the others would get suspicious of where she had disappeared off to. _UGH!_ But this was for the best.

He stumbled across the trap door that now lay splintered on the floor. _That was odd?_ He thought..._wouldn't she have slid it out of the way before jumping down? Nah, people can be pretty stupid these days. _He sighed realising that he would have to tidy the mess up and make a new door just in case of any more intruders. He lifted himself gracefully up onto the stage to check nothing else was damaged and then his eyes rested on the piano. Her bags...it looked like she was in the middle of packing her things back together...that was odd...but he shunned the thought and proceeded onwards. He needed to get them out of the way otherwise it would look as if she was still here...if people came looking for her...


	10. Unexpected

_Me: Ooo! Christmas was so fun! Hope all you peeps out there had a nice Christmas and Happy New Year celebrations!  
Erik: Ugh. I know I didn't.  
Me: Honestly! Your such a Scrooge.  
Erik: I am not.  
Me: You are...I swear you kept on muttering "Bah humbug!"  
Erik: Only because you wouldn't stop hugging me. One time is okay, but at the rate you were going it was getting on the verge of irritating-  
Me: -I was excited! All those pressies! (jumps up and down and claps hands frantically)  
Erik: Tis more bless-ed to give than to recieve.  
Me: Pft, yeah right!_

* * *

She started to stir. Stretching her arms out blindly she expected to be greeted by the cold wooden surface of the door, of which she had collapsed against the night before. At least, she thought that it was the morning. The young woman let out a whimper of pain and exasperation at the thought of the events that had transpired not that long ago. However, to her surprise, she felt something soft underneath her whilst her hands touched what seemed to be, a pillow? Slowly, she rubbed her eyes clear of sleep and hesitantly opened them. The room was as dark as she had last seen it. The candle seemed to have been replaced since the wax would not have lasted all that time she had been alseep, which she felt must have been a very long time. Also, she did not find herself hunched up uncomfortably on the cold floor, but lying soundly on a bed in the corner. 

_He must have put me here. _There was no cover over her but that was beside the point. She would have never have expected to be placed here. _By him? Who else would it have been? _

Suddenly without thinking, she sat up and flipped her feet over the edge of the bed. By this sudden movement, she felt an excrutiating pain shoot up all of her limps. Never had she felt so much soreness, ache and agony. The main sources of the pain was her legs, feet, arms and her neck. She cringed and gritted her teeth as she attempted to lift herself up. The girl couldn't stand being idle all the time and wanted to walk out the cramps that were slowly creeping up through her legs. Upon rising, she focused her eyes at the corner of the nightstand while she leant on it. Giving her no distractions and a way of concentrating on what she was doing.

However, what she saw there was her bag! Last time it had been lying half full with her music in the grand piano. Now, here it was fully packed. She had completely forgotten about it and the thought of loosing all of those sheets of music would have been a great loss for her indeed. Music was her life! And the thought of that pain finally dawned on her. She didn't much care for the other essentials in the bag. She felt so relieved and grateful but also shocked! Seeing the big black lump leaning against the corner of the table made her lose her balance and go thudding down onto the floor, as she had done already countless times before. With this, she let out another high pitched shriek.

The sprain in her ankle was becoming unbearable to endure. The girl lifted her self up slightly so that she was leaning herself comfortably against the wall and ripped off a long strip of fabric from her already hagged and torn dress. With this, she slowly wrapped the cloth around her foot tightly. Using one of the few remaining pins in her hair, she secured the makeshift bandadge in place. _That would have to do for now._

Suddenly, the girl felt drowsy and crawled over to the bed and lifted herself onto it. Considering her state, it took a lot of effort to do such a simple task. After many cringes and gasps of pain, she finally managed to succeed and slumped her head carelessly against the pillow. She didn't care how much it hurt. The girl was tired, fustrated, hurt and not to mention, very scared. Not even bothering to pull the cover over her, she drifted off into a restless sleep. "How long, until I see the sky again?",being her last thought

She dreamt of the dark tunnel, the thudding of steps, the light in the distance, slowly advancing...towards her. This replay of events was just even worse than when it actually happened. Everything was moving in slow motion while she was waiting for that moment to come and be confronted, by The Phantom of the Opera. And she knew what was coming after that. That's what made it even more terrifying. No matter how many times she had this dream, this nightmare, she would be as scared as she had been before.


End file.
